Chromobacterium Bioactive Compositions and Metabolites

ABSTRACT

Provided are bioactive compounds and metabolites derived from  Chromobacterium  species culture responsible for controlling pests, compositions containing these compounds, methods for obtaining these compounds and methods of using these compounds and compositions for controlling pests.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/280,311, filed Oct. 24, 2011, which claims the benefit under 35U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/406,569, filedOct. 25, 2010, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Disclosed herein are bioactive compositions and metabolites derived fromChromobacterium and particularly Chromobacterium substugae cultureresponsible for controlling pests as well as their methods of use forcontrolling pests.

BACKGROUND ART

Natural products are substances produced by microbes, plants, and otherorganisms. Microbial natural products offer an abundant source ofchemical diversity, and there is a long history of utilizing naturalproducts for pharmaceutical purposes. Despite the emphasis on naturalproducts for human therapeutics, where more than 50% are derived fromnatural products, only 11% of pesticides are derived from naturalsources. Nevertheless, natural product pesticides have a potential toplay an important role in controlling pests in both conventional andorganic farms. Secondary metabolites produced by microbes (bacteria,actinomycetes and fungi) provide novel chemical compounds which can beused either alone or in combination with known compounds to effectivelycontrol insect pests and to reduce the risk for resistance development.There are several well-known examples of microbial natural products thatare successful as agricultural insecticides (Thompson et al., 2000;Arena et al., 1995; Krieg et al. 1983).

The development of a microbial pesticide starts with the isolation of amicrobe in a pure culture. It then proceeds with efficacy and spectrumscreening using in vitro, in vivo or pilot scale trials in a greenhouseand in the field. At the same time, active compounds produced by themicrobe are isolated and identified. For the commercialization of amicrobial pesticide, the microbe has to be economically produced byfermentation at an industrial scale and formulated with biocompatibleand approved additives to increase efficacy and to maximize the ease ofapplication as well as storage stability under field conditions.

As farmers look to expand their insecticide arsenal and as new microbialproducts are placed on the market, there is a potential for a variety ofinteractions to occur between new and old insecticides. Combinations of2 or more insecticides applied to a single crop simultaneously orsequentially have often been used. To address these concerns, scientistshave examined the interaction of oils, fungi, and chemical pesticidesagainst pest and beneficial insects using topical and feeding methods(see, for example, Chalvet-Monfray, Sabatier et al. 1996; Meunier,Carubel et al. 1999; Hummelbrunner and Isman 2001; Wirth, Jiannino etal. 2004; Farenhorst, Knols et al. 2010; Shapiro-Ilan, Cottrell et al.2011); however, not all interactions have yet been studied.

Chromobacterium

The Beta-Proteobacterium strain, Chromobacterium subtsugae, exhibitsinsecticidal activity against a wide variety of insects (Martin,Blackburn et al. 2004; Martin 2004; Martin, Gundersen-Rindal et al.2007; Martin, Hirose et al. 2007; Martin, Shropshire et al. 2007). Themode of action appears to be a combination of antifeedant and toxinactivity, with feeding inhibition observed at sublethal doses (Martin,Gundersen-Rindal et al. 2007). In particular, it has been found thatChromobacterium substugae are effective against adult Colorado PotatoBeetle (Leptinotarse decemlineata), adult Western Corn Rootworm(Diabrotica virgifera), adult and larval Southern Corn Rootworm(Diabrotica undecimpunctata), larval Small hive beetle (Aethina tumida),larval Diamondback Moths (Plutella xyllostella), adult and larval SweetPotato Whitefly (Bernisia tabaci) and adult Southern Green Stinkbug(Nezara viridula). Since the finding of C. substugae by Martin and hercoworkers, at least three new species of Chromobacteria have beenisolated, and characterized; Young et al. (2008) isolated a novelChromobacterium species, C. aquaticum, from spring water samples inTaiwan, and Kampfer et al. (2009) isolated two species, C. piscinae andC. pseudoviolaceum, from environmental samples collected in Malaysia.

Secondary Metabolites of the Genus Chromobacterium

Of all known species of Chromobacteria, C. violaceum is studied themost, and published information on secondary metabolites produced byChromobacteria is based on studies on C. violaceum only. Duran and Menck(2001) have published a comprehensive review of the pharmacological andindustrial perspectives of C. violaceum, a Gram-negative saprophyte fromsoil and water. It is normally considered nonpathogenic to humans, butas an opportunistic pathogen, it has occasionally been the causativeagent for septicemia and fatal infections in humans and animals. C.violaceum is known to produce a purple pigment, violacein, which is abisindole molecule generated by a fusion of two L-tryptophan moleculesin the presence of oxygen (Hoshino et al., 1987; Ryan and Drennan;2009). Violacein biosynthesis is regulated by quorum-sensing, a commonmechanism regulating various other secondary metabolism pathways inGram-negative bacteria (McClean et al., 1997).

Other known metabolites of C. violaceum summarized by Duran and Menck(2001) include hydrogen cyanide, ferrioxamine E, B-lactamicglycopeptides SQ28,504 and SQ28,546, antibiotics such as aerocyanidin,aerocavin, 3,6-dihydroxy-indoxazene, and monobactam SB-26.180, and anantitumoral depsipeptide FR901228. According to the review article byDuran and Menck (2001), C. violaceum also produces unusual sugarcompounds such as extracellular polysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides.

Nematodes and Nematocides

Nematodes are non-segmented, bilaterally symmetric, worm-likeinvertebrates that possess a body cavity and complete digestive systembut lack respiratory and circulatory systems. Their body wall iscomposed of a multilayer cuticle, a hypodermis with four longitudinalcords, and internal musculature (Chitwood, 2003). Their body contentsare mostly occupied by digestive and reproductive systems. Mostnematodes are free-living but a smaller number of species are ubiquitousparasites of animals or plants.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) parasitize a wide range of annualand perennial crops, impacting both quality and quantity of marketableyields. Nematodes in this genus are considered the most economicallyimportant plant parasitic nematodes (Whitehead, 1998) Annual crop lossescaused by plant-parasitic nematodes have been estimated to exceed US$100 billion (Koenning et al. 1999), with more than half caused by thegenus Meloidogyne. The inoculum in this strain comes from eggs thatunder favorable conditions hatch to release infective second stagelarvae (J2s), which migrate in the soil towards a host plant root.Infection occurs through root tip penetration, after which the larvaemove to vascular tissue where the nematode becomes sedentary, feedingdirectly from plant cells. The plant responds by producing giant cellsthat form galls (root knots). Throughout the reproductive life, femalesremain imbedded in the plant tissue, and only the egg masses protrudefrom the root.

The most efficient means for controlling root-knot nematodes is vianematicides that inhibit either egg hatching, juvenile mobility and/orplant infectivity. The development of chemical control forplant-parasitic nematodes is challenging because of both environmentaland physiological reasons: 1. Most phytoparasitic nematodes live in aconfined area in soil near the roots and hence, delivery of a chemicalnematicide is difficult. 2. The outer surface of nematodes is a poorbiochemical target, and is impermeable to many organic molecules(Chitwood, 2003). Moreover, delivery of toxic compounds by an oral routeis nearly impossible because most plant parasitic nematode speciesingest material only after they have penetrated and infected plantroots. Therefore, nematicides have tended to be broad-spectrum toxinswith high volatility or with other chemical and physical propertiespromoting their mobility in soil.

During the past decade, halogenated hydrocarbons (e.g. ethylenedibromide, methyl bromide) have been the most heavily used nematicidesaround the world. Due to their high human toxicity and detrimentaleffects on stratospheric ozone layer these compounds were banned in theMontreal Protocol but the use of methyl bromide for nematode and plantpathogen control was extended in the US due to lack of substitutionproducts. Along with organophosphates, carbamates are the most effectivenon-fumigant nematicides. Unfortunately, most carbamates such asaldicarb and oxamyl are also highly toxic. As of August 2010, themanufacturer of aldicarb, Bayer, has agreed to cancel all productregistrations on potatoes and citrus in the US, and aldicarb will becompletely phased out by the end of August, 2018. Recently, abamectin—amixture of two avermectins produced by a soil actinomycete, Streptomycesavermitilis—has been registered for nematicidal use (Faske and Starr,2006). Syngenta markets this active ingredient as a seed treatment forcotton and vegetables under the trade name Avicta®.

Several microbial plant/nematode pathogens have been reported to beactive against plant parasitic nematodes (Guerena, 2006). Thesebiological control agents include the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis,Burkholderia cepacia, Pasteuria penetrans and P. usgae. PasteuriaBiosciences has launched P. usgae against sting nematodes on turf in thesoutheastern US. Nematicidal fungi include Trichoderma harzianum,Hirsutella rhossiliensis, H. minnesotensis, Verticillium chlamydosporum,Arthrobotrys dactyloides, and Paecilomyces lilanicus (marketed asBioAct® and Melcon® by Prophyta). Another fungus, Myrothecium verrucariais available in a commercial formulation, DiTera®, by ValentBiosciences. This is a killed fungus; hence the activity is due tonematicidal compounds. Other commercial bionematicides include Deny® andBlue Circle® (B. cepacia), Activate® (Bacillus chitinosporus) (Quarles,2005) and an Israeli product BioNem® (Bacillus firmus) (now marketed byBayer as a seed treatment Votivo®) (Terefe et al. 2009). It has beenhypothesized that the detrimental effect of microbial isolates onnematode egg hatching, juvenile mobility and infectivity can beattributed to toxins produced by these organisms (Hallman and Sikora,1996; Marrone et al, 1998; Siddiqui and Mahmood, 1999; Saxena et al.,2000; Meyer and Roberts, 2002), ability to parasitize or even trapnematodes (Siddiqui and Mahmood, 1996; Kerry, 2001; Jaffee and Muldoon,1995), induction of systemic resistance (Hasky-Gunther et al. 1998),changing nematode behavior (Sikora and Hoffman-Hergarter, 1993) orinterfering with plant recognition (Oostendorp and Sikora, 1990)

Botanical nematicides, such as plant extracts and essential oils, can beused to control nematodes (Kokalis-Burrelle and Rodriguez-Kabana, 2006).Chitwood has summarized the options of using plant-derived compounds fornematode control in his recent review article (Chitwood, 2002). Siddiquiand Alam (2001) demonstrated that potting soil amended with plant partsfrom the neem tree (Azadirachta indica) and Chinaberry tree (Meliaazadirah) inhibited root-knot nematode development of tomatoes. However,no neem products are currently registered in the US for use againstnematodes. A new botanical product from Chile (Nema-Q®) based on aQuillaja saponaria tree extract containing saponins (bidesmosidicderivatives of quillajic acid substituted with a trisaccharide at C-3and an oligosaccharide in C-28) has been recently registered as a anorganic nematicide through US EPA and listed for organic farming by theOrganic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). It is marketed by MontereyAgResources.

Crop rotation to a non-host crop is often adequate by itself to preventnematode populations from reaching economically damaging levels (Guerena2006). Allelochemicals are plant-produced compounds that affect thebehavior of organisms in the plant's environment. Examples ofnematocidal allelochemicals include polythienyls, glucisonolates,alkaloids, lipids, terpenoids, steroids, triterpenoids and phenolics(Kokalis-Burrelle and Rodriguez-Kabana, 2006; Chitwood, 2002). Whengrown as cover crops, bioactive compounds from allelopathic plants areexuded during the growing period and/or released to the soil duringbiomass decomposition. Brassica crops can be used for biofumigation—apest management strategy based on the release of biocidal volatilesduring decomposition of soil-incorporated tissue (Kirkegaard and Sarwar,1998). However, studies of Roubtsova et al (2007) on the effect ofdecaying broccoli tissue on M. incognita numbers indicated that forproper control, thorough mixing of plant tissue with the completenematode-infected soil volume was necessary.

The future of nematode control in agricultural soils relies on twofactors: development of nematode resistant crops and the discovery anddevelopment of new, broad-spectrum, less toxic nematicides. The cost ofresearch, development and registration of a new chemical nematicides isextremely high (>$200 million), which limits their development. Of the497 new active ingredients registered for use as a pesticide from 1967to 1997, only seven were registered as nematicides (Aspelin and Grube,1999). Besides conventional chemical methods, RNA interference (RNAi)has been proposed as a method for controlling nematodes. Use of genesilencing via RNAi was first demonstrated on Caenorhabditis elegans andquite recently also for plant parasitic nematodes such as Meloidogynespp. (Bakhetia et al. 2005). The search for new microbial strains to useas sources for biological nematicides is an important goal in order toreduce the significant economic damage caused by plant-parasiticnematodes as well as to reduce the use of toxic compounds currentlyregistered for nematode control.

According to Sasser and Freckman (1987), crop losses by nematodes rangefrom 8 to 20% on major crops around the world. Plant parasitic nematodescan cause considerable crop damage with annual losses estimated at $87billion worldwide (Dong and Zhang, 2006). Nematode resistant cropvarieties and chemical nematicides are currently the main options fornematode control. Fumigants such as methyl bromide are very effective incontrolling both soil-borne plant diseases and nematodes but due to thehigh mammalian toxicity, ozone depleting effects and other residualeffects, the use of methyl bromide has already been banned in variouscountries and its complete withdrawal from the market is planned byinternational agreement (Oka et al., 2000). Chemical alternatives suchas methyl iodide, 1,3-Dichloropropene, and cholorpicrin also have issueswith mammalian and environmental safety. Chemical non-fumigantnematicides are being phased out and banned. Most recently, the US-EPAannounced that aldicarb was being phased out.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Provided herein are novel uses and combinations and, in particular,compositions comprising a strain of Chromobacterium sp., particularly astrain of Chromobacterium substugae and more particularly, a strain ofChromobacterium substagae sp. nov. and even more particularly a strainof Chromobacterium substagae sp. nov. having the identifyingcharacteristics of NRRL B-30655 described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,607.

Thus provided herein is a method for modulating nematode infestation ina plant comprising applying to a plant, and/or seeds thereof and/orsubstrate used for growing said plant an amount of a supernatant,filtrate and/or extract and/or one or more metabolites from saidsupernatant, filtrate and/or extract of a strain of Chromobacterium sp.and optionally another nematocidal substance in an amount effective tomodulate said nematode infestation.

Also provided herein is a pesticidal combination synergistic to at leastone pest comprising as active components: (a) a supernatant, filtrateand/or extract of Chromobacterium sp. and/or one or more metabolite(s)from said supernatant, filtrate and/or extract of Chromobacterium sp.and (b) another pesticidal substance, wherein (a) and (b) are present insynergistic amounts. The pest, in a particular embodiment, may be aninsect pest, but may also include, but is not limited to, a nematode,plant fungus, plant virus and plant bacteria and weeds. Further, thecombination may be a composition. The pesticidal substance may be (a)derived from a microorganism; (b) a natural product and/or (c) achemical pesticide and in particular a chemical insecticide.

In particular, the combination may comprise a supernatant, filtrateand/or extract of Chromobacterium sp. and a pesticidal substance derivedfrom a microorganism including but not limited to Bacillus sp. (e.g.,Bacillus thuringiensis or Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki) and spinosad.Althernatively, the combination may comprise a supernatant, filtrateand/or extract of Chromobacterium sp. and a pesticidal substance derivedfrom a natural product such as pyrethrum. Althernatively, thecombination may comprise a supernatant, filtrate and/or extract ofChromobacterium sp. and a pesticidal substance which is a chemicalpesticide, particularly, an insecticide, where the insecticide includesbut is not limited to pyrethrins, spirotetramet and organochlorines.

In a related aspect, provided herein is a method for synergisticallymodulating infestation of at least one pest or pest species in a plantcomprising applying to a plant and/or seeds thereof and/or substrate forgrowing said plant the combinations set forth above with an amount ofthe combination effective to modulate infestation of said pest or pestspecies. Also provided herein are isolated compounds obtainable orderived from Chromobacterium species, more particularly, Chromobacteriumsubstugae or alternatively, organisms capable of producing thesecompounds that can be used to control various pests, particularly insectpests, more particularly non Culicidae insect pests and/or alsoparticularly, nematocidal pests.

In one embodiment, the compound may be a compound that (a) haspesticidal activity; (b) has a molecular weight of about 840-900 asdetermined by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (LC/MS) and (c)has an High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) retention time ofabout 7-12 minutes on a reversed phase C-18 HPLC column using awater:acetonitrile (CH₃CN) gradient solvent system (0-20 min; 90-0%aqueous CH₃CN, 20-24 min; 100% CH₃CN, 24-27 min; 0-90% aqueous CH₃CN,27-30 min; 90% aqueous CH₃CN) at 0.5 mL/min flow rate and UV detectionof 210 nm and (d) is optionally obtainable from a Chromobacteriumspecies. The compound in one embodiment may be a peptide.

In a particular embodiment, the compound has 43 carbons, seven methyl,ten methylene carbons, twelve methines, 6 olefinic methines, and eightquaternary carbons as determined by ¹³C NMR.

In one specific embodiment, the compound “A”: (a) is obtainable from aChromobacterium species; (b) is toxic to a pest; (c) has a molecularweight of about 840-890 and more particularly, 860 as determined byLiquid Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (LC/MS); (d) has ¹H NMR valuesof δ 8.89, 8.44, 8.24, 8.23, 7.96, 7.63, 6.66, 5.42, 5.36, 5.31, 5.10,4.13, 4.07, 4.05, 3.96, 3.95, 3.88, 3.77, 3.73, 3.51, 3.44, 3.17, 2.40,2.27, 2.11, 2.08, 2.03, 2.01, 1.97, 1.95, 1.90, 1.81, 1.68, 1.63, 1.57,1.53, 1.48, 1.43, 1.35, 1.24, 1.07, 1.02, 0.96, 0.89, 0.88, 0.87, 0.80and has ¹³C NMR values of δ 173.62, 172.92, 172.25, 172.17, 171.66,171.28, 170.45, 132.13, 130.04, 129.98, 129.69, 129.69, 125.48, 98.05,70.11, 69.75, 68.30, 68.25, 64.34, 60.94, 54.54, 52.82, 49.72, 48.57,45.68, 40.38, 39.90, 38.18, 36.60, 31.98, 31.62, 31.58, 29.53, 28.83,27.78, 24.41, 23.06, 22.09, 20.56, 19.31, 18.78, 17.66, 15.80 (e) has anHigh Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) retention time of about 7-12minutes, more specifically about 9 minutes and even more specificallyabout 9.08 min on a reversed phase C-18 HPLC (Phenomenex, Luna 5μ C18(2)100 A, 100×4.60 mm) column using a water:acetonitrile (CH₃CN) with agradient solvent system (0-20 min; 90-0% aqueous CH₃CN, 20-24 min; 100%CH₃CN, 24-27 min; 0-90% aqueous CH₃CN, 27-30 min; 90% aqueous CH₃CN) at0.5 mL/min flow rate and UV detection of 210 nm. In particular, the ¹³CNMR spectrum reveals signals for 43 carbons, for seven methyl, tenmethylene carbons, twelve methines, 6 olefinic methines, eightquaternary carbons and/or the ¹H NMR spectrum displays characteristicsof a typical peptide, illustrating five amide NH signals [δ_(H): 8.89,8.44, 8.23, 8.22, 7.96], one amine NH₂ signal [δ_(H): 7.64, 6.65], sixα-amino protons [δ_(H): 4.07, 4.06, 3.96, 3.95, 3.88, 3.72] and in the¹³C NMR spectrum, six/seven amide or ester resonances [δ_(C): 173.62,172.92, 172.25, 1.72.17, 171.66, 171.28, 170.45]. In another specificembodiment, the compound “B” has the following characteristics: (a) isobtainable from a Chromobacterium species; (b) is toxic to a pest; (c)has a molecular weight of about 850-900 and more particularly, 874 asdetermined by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (LC/MS); (d) hasan High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) retention time of about7-12 minutes, more specifically about 9 minutes and even morespecifically about 9.54 min on a reversed phase C-18 HPLC (Phenomenex,Luna 5μ C18(2) 100 A, 100×4.60 mm) column using a water:acetonitrile(CH₃CN) with a gradient solvent system (0-20 min; 90-0% aqueous CH₃CN,20-24 min; 100% CH₃CN, 24-27 min; 0-90% aqueous CH₃CN, 27-30 min; 90%aqueous CH₃CN) at 0.5 mL/min flow rate and UV detection of 210 nm.

In a more particular embodiment, provided are compounds including butnot limited to:

(A) a compound having the structure ##STR001##

or a pesticidally acceptable salt or steriosomers thereof, wherein R is—H, lower chain alkyl containing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 alkylmoieties, aryl or arylalkyl moiety, substituted lower alkyl; X is O, NH,NR or S; n is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9; R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄, R₅, R₆,R₇, R₈, R₉, R₁₀, R₁₁ are each independently H, are the same or differentand independently an amino acid side-chain moiety or an amino acidside-chain derivative, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substitutedalkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, aryl, substituted aryl,heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substitutedheterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, alkoxy, substitutedalkoxy, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, hydroxy, halogen, amino,amido, carboxyl, —C(O)H, acyl, oxyacyl, carbamate, sulfonyl,sulfonamide, or sulfuryl;

(B) a compound having the structure ##STR001a##

wherein R is —H, lower chain alkyl containing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or9 alkyl moieties, aryl or arylalkyl moiety, substituted lower alkyl; Xis O, NH, NR or S; R2a, R2b are independently selected from the groupconsisting of —H, alkyl, lower-alkyl, substituted alkyl and substitutedlower-alkyl; R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄, R₅, R₆, R₇, R₈, R₉, R₁₀, R₁₁ are eachindependently H, are the same or different and independently an aminoacid side-chain moiety or an amino acid side-chain derivative, alkyl,substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substitutedalkynyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl,heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substitutedcycloalkyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, thioalkyl, substitutedthioalkyl, hydroxy, halogen, amino, amido, carboxyl, —C(O)H, acyl,oxyacyl, carbamate, sulfonyl, sulfonamide, or sulfuryl.

(C) a compound having the structure ##STR001b##

wherein R is —H, lower chain alkyl containing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or9 alkyl moieties, aryl or aryl alkyl moiety, substituted lower alkyl; Xis O, NH, NR or S; n is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9; R2a, R2b areindependently selected from the group consisting of —H, alkyl,lower-alkyl, substituted alkyl and substituted lower-alkyl; R₁, R₂, R₃,R₄, R₅, R₆, R₇, R₈, R₉, R₁₀, R₁₁ are each independently H, are the sameor different and independently an amino acid side-chain moiety or anamino acid side-chain derivative, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl,substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, aryl, substitutedaryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substitutedheterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, alkoxy, substitutedalkoxy, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, hydroxy, halogen, amino,amido, carboxyl, —C(O)H, acyl, oxyacyl, carbamate, sulfonyl,sulfonamide, or sulfuryl.

(D) a compound having the structure ##STR001C##

wherein R is —H, lower chain alkyl, aryl or aryl alkyl moiety,substituted lower alkyl containing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 alkylmoieties; X is O, NH, NR or S; n is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9; R2a,R2b are independently selected from the group consisting of —H, alkyl,lower-alkyl, substituted alkyl and substituted lower-alkyl; R₁, R₂, R₃,R₄, R₅, R₆, R₇, R₈, R₉, R₁₀, R₁₁ are each independently H, are the sameor different and independently an amino acid side-chain moiety or anamino acid side-chain derivative, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl,substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, aryl, substitutedaryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substitutedheterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, alkoxy, substitutedalkoxy, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, hydroxy, halogen, amino,amido, carboxyl, —C(O)H, acyl, oxyacyl, carbamate, sulfonyl,sulfonamide, or sulfuryl.

In a more particular embodiment, the compound is chromamide A (1).

These compounds may be obtained by (a) culturing a Chromobacteriumstrain in a culture medium under conditions sufficient to produce saidcompound to obtain a Chromobacterium culture and (b) isolating saidcompound produced in (a) from the whole cell broth of (a). Inparticular, the compound in step (b) may be isolated by (i) applying thewhole cell broth to at least one of an ion exchange column, a sizeexclusion column or a reversed phase HPLC column to obtain columnfractions; (ii) assaying the column fractions for pesticidal activityand (iii) concentrating column fractions of (ii) to obtain isolatedcompound.

Further provided are compositions, particularly pesticidal compositionscomprising said compounds as well as other compounds obtainable fromChromobacterium species with pesticidal activity. These other compoundsmay have the following characteristics: (a) a molecular weight of about315-360 as determined by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy(LC/MS); (b) an High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) retentiontime of about 8-15 minutes on a reversed phase C-18 HPLC column using awater:acetonitrile (CH₃CN) with a gradient solvent system (0-20 min;90-0% aqueous CH₃CN, 20-24 min; 100% CH₃CN, 24-27 min; 0-90% aqueousCH₃CN, 27-30 min; 90% aqueous CH₃CN) at 0.5 mL/min flow rate and UVdetection of 210 nm and may be obtained by (A) culturing aChromobacterium substugae sp. Nov strain in a culture medium underconditions sufficient to produce said compound to obtain aChromobacterium substugae sp. Nov culture and (B) isolating saidcompound produced in (A) from the whole cell broth of (A).

In a particular embodiment, one compound used in said composition setforth above, compound “C” has the following characteristics: (a) isobtainable from a Chromobacterium species; (b) is toxic to pests; (c)has a molecular weight of about 325-360 and more particularly, about 343as determined by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (LC/MS); (d)has an High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) retention time ofabout 8-14 minutes, more specifically about 10 minutes and even morespecifically about 10.88 min on a reversed phase C-18 HPLC (Phenomenex,Luna 5μ C18(2) 100 A, 100×4.60 mm) column using a water:acetonitrile(CH₃CN) with a gradient solvent system (0-20 min; 90-0% aqueous CH₃CN,20-24 min; 100% CH₃CN, 24-27 min; 0-90% aqueous CH₃CN, 27-30 min; 90%aqueous CH₃CN) at 0.5 mL/min flow rate and UV detection of 210 nm. In aparticular embodiment, compound “C” may be violacein (2), a knowncompound isolated earlier from Chromobacterium violaceum.

In another embodiment, another compound used in the composition setforth above, the compound “D”, has the following characteristics: (a) isobtainable from a Chromobacterium species; (b) is toxic to a pest; (c)has a molecular weight of about 315-350 and more particularly, about 327as determined by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (LC/MS); (d)has an High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) retention time ofabout 10-15 minutes, more specifically about 12 minutes and even morespecifically about 12.69 min on a reversed phase C-18 HPLC (Phenomenex,Luna 5μ C18(2) 100 A, 100×4.60 mm) column using a water:acetonitrile(CH₃CN) with a gradient solvent system (0-20 min; 90-0% aqueous CH₃CN,20-24 min; 100% CH₃CN, 24-27 min; 0-90% aqueous CH₃CN, 27-30 min; 90%aqueous CH₃CN) at 0.5 mL/min flow rate and UV detection of 210 nm. In aparticular embodiment, compound “D” may be characterized asdeoxyviolacein (3), a known compound isolated earlier fromChromobacterium violaceum.

Said compositions may further optionally comprise a second substance,wherein said second substance is a chemical or biological pesticideand/or at least one of a carrier, diluent, surfactant or adjuvant.

Also provided is a method of using the compounds (e.g., compounds “A”,“B”, “C” and “D”) and compositions set forth above to modulate pestinfestation, particularly a non-Culicidae (non-mosquito) insect pestsand nematocidal pests in a plant comprising applying to the plant anamount of the compound or compositions and optionally a second chemicalor biological pesticide effective to modulate said pest infestation.Further provided is the use of the compounds set forth above forformulating a composition for modulating pest infestation in a plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of purification scheme forobtaining the compounds of the invention from culture broth.

FIG. 2 depicts the ESI-LCMS chromatogram for chromamide A (1).

FIG. 3 depicts the HRMS data for chromamide A (1).

FIG. 4 depicts ¹H NMR for chromamide A (1) in DMSO-d₆ at 600 MHz.

FIG. 5 depicts ¹³C NMR for chromamide A (1) in DMSO-d₆ at 600 MHz.

FIG. 6 depicts the HPLC chromatogram for compound B (MW 874).

FIG. 7 depicts chemical structures for chromamide A (1) violacein (2)and deoxyviolacein (3).

FIG. 8 Percentage of mobile nematodes after treatment with filtersterilized C. substugae broth (1×—undiluted; 0.1×—diluted 10-fold) after24 hours.

FIG. 9 Percentage of mobile nematodes after treatment with filtersterilized C. substugae broth (1×—undiluted; 0.1×—diluted 10-fold) after48 hours.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the compositions and methods heretofore are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, exemplary embodiments will hereinbe described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there isno intent to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, buton the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lowerlimit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in thatstated range, is included therein. Smaller ranges are also included. Theupper and lower limits of these smaller ranges are also includedtherein, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also beused in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferredmethods and materials are now described.

It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “and” and “the” include plural references unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise.

As defined herein, “derived from” means directly isolated or obtainedfrom a particular source or alternatively having identifyingcharacteristics of a substance or organism isolated or obtained from aparticular source. In the event that the “source” is an organism,“derived from” means that it may be isolated or obtained from theorganism itself or medium used to culture or grow said organism.

As defined herein, “whole broth culture” refers to a liquid culturecontaining both cells and media. If bacteria are grown on a plate thecells can be harvested in water or other liquid, whole culture.

The term “supernatant” refers to the liquid remaining when cells grownin broth or are harvested in another liquid from an agar plate and areremoved by centrifugation, filtration, sedimentation, or other meanswell known in the art.

As defined herein, “filtrate” refers to liquid from a whole brothculture that has passed through a membrane.

As defined herein, “extract” refers to liquid substance removed fromcells by a solvent (water, detergent, buffer) and separated from thecells by centrifugation, filtration or other method.

As defined herein, “metabolite” refers to a compound, substance orbyproduct of a fermentation of a microorganism, or supernatant,filtrate, or extract obtained from a microorganism that has pesticidaland particularly, insecticidal activity. As defined herein, an “isolatedcompound” is essentially free of other compounds or substances, e.g., atleast about 20% pure, preferably at least about 40% pure, morepreferably about 60% pure, even more preferably about 80% pure, mostpreferably about 90% pure, and even most preferably about 95% pure, asdetermined by analytical methods, including but not limited tochromatographic methods, electrophoretic methods.

A “carrier” as defined herein is an inert, organic or inorganicmaterial, with which the active ingredient is mixed or formulated tofacilitate its application to plant or other object to be treated, orits storage, transport and/or handling.

The term “modulate” as defined herein is used to mean to alter theamount of pest infestation or rate of spread of pest infestation.

The term “pest infestation” as defined herein, is the presence of a pestin an amount that causes a harmful effect including a disease orinfection in a host population or emergence of an undesired weed in agrowth system.

A “pesticide” as defined herein, is a substance derived from abiological product or chemical substance that increase mortality orinhibit the growth rate of plant pests and includes but is not limitedto nematocides, insecticides, plant fungicides, plant bactericides, andplant viricides.

As used herein, the term “alkyl” refers to a monovalent straight orbranched chain hydrocarbon group having from one to about 12 carbonatoms, including methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl,tert-butyl, n-hexyl, and the like.

As used herein, “substituted alkyl” refers to alkyl groups furtherbearing one or more substituents selected from hydroxy, alkoxy,mercapto, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heterocyclic, substitutedheterocyclic, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substitutedheteroaryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, halogen, cyano, nitro, amino,amido, —C(O)H, acyl, oxyacyl, carboxyl, sulfonyl, sulfonamide, sulfuryl,and the like.

As used herein, “alkenyl” refers to straight or branched chainhydrocarbyl groups having one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, andhaving in the range of about 2 up to 12 carbon atoms, and “substitutedalkenyl” refers to alkenyl groups further bearing one or moresubstituents as set forth above.

As used herein, “alkynyl” refers to straight or branched chainhydrocarbyl groups having at least one carbon-carbon triple bond, andhaving in the range of about 2 up to 12 carbon atoms, and “substitutedalkynyl” refers to alkynyl groups further bearing one or moresubstituents as set forth above.

As used herein, “aryl” refers to aromatic groups having in the range of6 up to 14 carbon atoms and “substituted aryl” refers to aryl groupsfurther bearing one or more substituents as set forth above.

As used herein, “heteroaryl” refers to aromatic rings containing one ormore heteroatoms (e.g., N, O, S, or the like) as part of the ringstructure, and having in the range of 3 up to 14 carbon atoms and“substituted heteroaryl” refers toheteroaryl groups further bearing oneor more substituents as set forth above.

As used herein, “alkoxy” refers to the moiety —O-alkyl-, wherein alkylis as defined above, and “substituted alkoxy” refers to alkoxyl groupsfurther bearing one or more substituents as set forth above.

As used herein, “thioalkyl” refers to the moiety —S-alkyl-, whereinalkyl is as defined above, and “substituted thioalkyl” refers tothioalkyl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forthabove.

As used herein, “cycloalkyl” refers to ring-containing alkyl groupscontaining in the range of about 3 up to 8 carbon atoms, and“substituted cycloalkyl” refers to cycloalkyl groups further bearing oneor more substituents as set forth above.

As used herein, “heterocyclic”, refers to cyclic (i.e., ring-containing)groups containing one or more heteroatoms (e.g., N, O, S, or the like)as part of the ring structure, and having in the range of 3 up to 14carbon atoms and “substituted heterocyclic” refers to heterocyclicgroups further bearing one or more substituent's as set forth above.

Methods of Production

As noted above, compounds or metabolites may be obtained, are obtainableor derived from an organism having the identifying characteristics of aChromobacterium species, more particularly, from an organism having theidentifying characteristics of a strain of Chromobacterium substugae,more particularly from a strain of Chromobacterium substugae sp. nov.which may have the identifying characteristics of NRRL B-30655, oralternatively from any other microorganism. The methods comprisecultivating these organisms and obtaining the compounds and/orcompositions of the present invention by isolating these compounds fromthe culture of these organisms.

In particular, the organisms are cultivated in nutrient medium usingmethods known in the art. The organisms may be cultivated by shake flaskcultivation, small scale or large scale fermentation (including but notlimited to continuous, batch, fed-batch, or solid state fermentations)in laboratory or industrial fermentors performed in suitable medium andunder conditions allowing cell growth. The cultivation may take place insuitable nutrient medium comprising carbon and nitrogen sources andinorganic salts, using procedures known in the art. Suitable media areavailable may be available from commercial sources or prepared accordingto published compositions.

After cultivation, a supernatant, filtrate and/or extract of or derivedfrom Chromobacterium sp. may be used in formulating a pesticidalcomposition.

Alternatively, after cultivation, the compounds and/or metabolites maybe extracted from the culture broth.

The extract may be fractionated by chromatography. Chromatographicfractions may be assayed for toxic activity against, for example,Cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) or Beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua)using methods known in the art. This process may be repeated one or moretimes using the same or different chromatographic methods.

Compositions

Compositions may comprise whole broth cultures, liquid cultures, orsuspensions of a strain from a Chromobacterium sp., e.g. a strain havingthe identifying characteristics of Chromobacterium substugae sp. Nov andmore particularly, having the identifying characteristics of NRRLB-30655 (see U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,607), as well as supernatants,filtrates or extracts obtained from a strain of a Chromobacterium sp.,e.g. a strain having the identifying characteristics of Chromobacteriumsubstugae sp. Nov and more particularly, having the identifyingcharacteristics of NRRL B-30655 (see U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,607), or thesupernatant, filtrate and/or extract or one or more metabolites orisolated compounds derived from a strain of a Chromobacterium sp. orcombinations of the foregoing which in particular have nematocidalactivity.

The compositions set forth above can be formulated in any manner.Non-limiting formulation examples include but are not limited toEmulsifiable concentrates (EC), Wettable powders (WP), soluble liquids(SL), Aerosols, Ultra-low volume concentrate solutions (ULV), Solublepowders (SP), Microencapsulation, Water dispersed Granules, Flowables(FL), Microemulsions (ME), Nano-emulsions (NE), etc. In any formulationdescribed herein, percent of the active ingredient is within a range of0.01% to 99.99%.

The compositions may be in the form of a liquid, gel or solid.

A solid composition can be prepared by suspending a solid carrier in asolution of active ingredient(s) and drying the suspension under mildconditions, such as evaporation at room temperature or vacuumevaporation at 65° C. or lower.

A composition may comprise gel-encapsulated active ingredient(s). Suchgel-encapsulated materials can be prepared by mixing a gel-forming agent(e.g., gelatin, cellulose, or lignin) with a culture or suspension oflive or inactivated Chromobacterium, or a cell-free filtrate or cellfraction of a Chromobacterium culture or suspension, or a spray- orfreeze-dried culture, cell, or cell fraction or in a solution ofpesticidal compounds used in the method of the invention; and inducinggel formation of the agent.

The composition may additionally comprise a surfactant to be used forthe purpose of emulsification, dispersion, wetting, spreading,integration, disintegration control, stabilization of activeingredients, and improvement of fluidity or rust inhibition. In aparticular embodiment, the surfactant is a non-phytotoxic non-ionicsurfactant which preferably belongs to EPA List 4B. In anotherparticular embodiment, the nonionic surfactant is polyoxyethylene (20)monolaurate. The concentration of surfactants may range between 0.1-35%of the total formulation, preferred range is 5-25%. The choice ofdispersing and emulsifying agents, such as non-ionic, anionic,amphoteric and cationic dispersing and emulsifying agents, and theamount employed is determined by the nature of the composition and theability of the agent to facilitate the dispersion of the compositions ofthe present invention.

The composition set forth above may be combined with anothermicroorganism and/or pesticide (e.g., nematocide, fungicide,insecticide). The microorganism may include but is not limited to anagent derived from Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Brevabacillus sp.,Lecanicillium sp., non-Ampelomyces sp., Pseudozyma sp., Streptomyces sp,Burkholderia sp, Trichoderma sp, Gliocladium sp. Alternatively, theagent may be a natural oil or oil-product having fungicidal and/orinsecticidal activity (e.g., paraffinic oil, tea tree oil, lemongrassoil, clove oil, cinnamon oil, citrus oil, rosemary oil, pyrethrum).Furthermore, the pesticide may be a single site anti-fungal agent whichmay include but is not limited to benzimidazole, a demethylationinhibitor (DMI) (e.g., imidazole, piperazine, pyrimidine, triazole),morpholine, hydroxypyrimidine, anilinopyrimidine, phosphorothiolate,quinone outside inhibitor, quinoline, dicarboximide, carboximide,phenylamide, anilinopyrimidine, phenylpyrrole, aromatic hydrocarbon,cinnamic acid, hydroxyanilide, antibiotic, polyoxin, acylamine,phthalimide, benzenoid (xylylalanine), a demethylation inhibitorselected from the group consisting of imidazole, piperazine, pyrimidineand triazole (e.g., bitertanol, myclobutanil, penconazole,propiconazole, triadimefon, bromuconazole, cyproconazole, diniconazole,fenbuconazole, hexaconazole, tebuconazole, tetraconazole), myclobutanil,an anthranilic diamide (e.g., chlorantranilipole) and a quinone outsideinhibitor (e.g., strobilurin). The strobilurin may include but is notlimited to azoxystrobin, kresoxim-methoyl or trifloxystrobin. In yetanother particular embodiment, the anti-fungal agent is a quinone, e.g.,quinoxyfen (5,7-dichloro-4-quinolyl 4-fluorophenyl ether). Theanti-fungal agent may also be derived from a Reynoutria extract.

The fungicide can also be a multi-site non-inorganic, chemical fungicideselected from the group consisting of chloronitrile, quinoxaline,sulphamide, phosphonate, phosphite, dithiocarbamate, chloralkylhios,phenylpyridin-amine, cyano-acetamide oxime.

The composition may as noted above, further comprise an insecticide. Theinsecticide may include but is not limited to avermectin, Bt (e.g.,Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki), neem oil, spinosads,Burkholderdia sp. as set forth in WO2011/106491, entomopathogenic fungisuch a Beauveria bassiana and chemical insecticides including but notlimited to organochlorine compounds, organophosphorous compounds,carbamates, pyrethroids, pyrethrins and neonicotinoids.

As noted above, the composition may further comprise a nematocide. Thisnematocide may include but is not limited to avermectin, microbialproducts such as Biome (Bacillus firmus), Pasteuria spp and organicproducts such as saponins.

The compositions may be applied using methods known in the art.Specifically, these compositions may be applied to plants or plantparts. Plants are to be understood as meaning in the present context allplants and plant populations such as desired and undesired wild plantsor crop plants (including naturally occurring crop plants). Crop plantscan be plants which can be obtained by conventional plant breeding andoptimization methods or by biotechnological and genetic engineeringmethods or by combinations of these methods, including the transgenicplants and including the plant cultivars protectable or not protectableby plant breeders' rights. Plant parts are to be understood as meaningall parts and organs of plants above and below the ground, such asshoot, leaf, flower and root, examples which may be mentioned beingleaves, needles, stalks, stems, flowers, fruit bodies, fruits, seeds,roots, tubers and rhizomes. The plant parts also include harvestedmaterial, and vegetative and generative propagation material, forexample cuttings, tubers, rhizomes, offshoots and seeds.

Treatment of the plants and plant parts with the compositions set forthabove may be carried out directly or by allowing the compositions to acton their surroundings, habitat or storage space by, for example,immersion, spraying, evaporation, fogging, scattering, painting on,injecting. In the case that the composition is applied to a seed, thecomposition may be applied to the seed as one or more coats prior toplanting the seed using one or more coats using methods known in theart.

Uses

The compositions, cultures, supernatants, metabolites and pesticidalcompounds set forth above may be used as pesticides. In particular, thecompositions, cultures, supernatants, metabolites and pesticidalcompounds as set forth above may be used as insecticides andnematocides, alone or in combination with one or more pesticidalsubstances set forth above.

Specifically, nematodes that may be controlled using the method setforth above include but are not limited to parasitic nematodes such asroot-knot, cyst, and lesion nematodes, including but not limited toMeloidogyne sp. Tylenchorhynchus sp, Hoplolaimus sp., Helicotylenchussp., Pratylenchus sp., Heterodera sp., Globodera, sp., Trichodorus sp.Paratrichodorus sp., Xiphinema sp., and Criconema sp.; particularlyMeloidogyne incognita (root knot nematodes), as well as Globoderarostochiensis and globodera pailida (potato cyst nematodes); Heteroderaglycines (soybean cyst nematode); Heterodera schachtii (beet cystnematode); and Heterodera avenae (cereal cyst nematode).

Phytopathogenic insects controlled by the method set forth above includebut are not limited to non-Culicidae larvae insects from the order (a)Lepidoptera, for example, Acleris spp., Adoxophyes spp., Aegeria spp.,Agrotis spp., Alabama argillaceae, Amylois spp., Anticarsia gemmatalis,Archips spp., Argyrotaenia spp., Autographa spp., Busseola fusca, Cadracautella, Carposina nipponensis, Chilo spp., Choristoneura spp., Clysiaambiguella, Cnaphalocrocis spp., Cnephasia spp., Cochylis spp.,Coleophora spp., Crocidolomia binotalis, Cryptophlebia leucotreta, Cydiaspp., Diatraea spp., Diparopsis castanea, Earias spp., Ephestia spp.,Eucosma spp., Eupoecilia ambiguella, Euproctis spp., Euxoa spp.,Grapholita spp., Hedya nubiferana, Heliothis spp., Hellula undalis,Hyphantria cunea, Keiferia lycopersicella, Leucoptera scitella,Lithocollethis spp., Lobesia botrana, Lymantria spp., Lyonetia spp.,Malacosoma spp., Mamestra brassicae, Manduca sexta, Operophtera spp.,Ostrinia nubilalis, Pammene spp., Pandemis spp., Panolis flammea,Pectinophora gossypiella, Phthorimaea operculella, Pieris rapae, Pierisspp., Plutella xylostella, Prays spp., Scirpophaga spp., Sesamia spp.,Sparganothis spp., Spodoptera spp., Synanthedon spp., Thaumetopoea spp.,Tortrix spp., Trichoplusia ni and Yponomeuta spp.; (b) Coleoptera, forexample, Agriotes spp., Anthonomus spp., Atomaria linearis, Chaetocnematibialis, Cosmopolites spp., Curculio spp., Dermestes spp., Diabroticaspp., Epilachna spp., Eremnus spp., Leptinotarsa decemlineata,Lissorhoptrus spp., Melolontha spp., Orycaephilus spp., Otiorhynchusspp., Phlyctinus spp., Popillia spp., Psylliodes spp., Rhizopertha spp-,Scarabeidae, Sitophilus spp., Sitotroga spp., Tenebrio spp., Triboliumspp. and Trogoderma spp.; (c) Orthoptera, for example, Blatta spp.,Blattella spp., Gryllotalpa spp., Leucophaea maderae, Locusta spp.,Periplaneta spp. and Schistocerca spp.; (d) Isoptera, for example,Reticulitermes spp.; (e) Psocoptera, for example, Liposcelis spp.; (f)Anoplura, for example, Haematopinus spp., Linognathus spp., Pediculusspp., Pemphigus spp. and Phylloxera spp.; (g) Mallophaga, for example,Damalinea spp. and Trichodectes spp.; (h) Thysanoptera, for example,Frankliniella spp., Hercinotnrips spp., Taeniothrips spp., Thrips palmi,Thrips tabaci and Scirtothrips aurantii; (i) Heteroptera, for example,Cimex spp., Distantiella theobroma, Dysdercus spp., Euchistus spp.,Eurygaster spp., Leptocorisa spp., Nezara spp., Piesma spp., Rhodniusspp., Sahlbergella singularis, Scotinophara spp. and Tniatoma spp.; (f)Homoptera, for example, Aleurothrixus floccosus, Aleyrodes brassicae,Aonidiella spp., Aphididae, Aphis spp., Aspidiotus spp., Bemisia tabaci,Ceroplaster spp., Chrysomphalus aonidium, Chrysomphalus dictyospermi,Coccus hesperidum, Empoasca spp., Eriosoma larigerum, Erythroneura spp.,Gascardia spp., Laodelphax spp., Lecanium corni, Lepidosaphes spp.,Macrosiphus spp., Myzus spp., Nephotettix spp., Nilaparvata spp.,Paratoria spp., Pemphigus spp., Planococcus spp., Pseudaulacaspis spp.,Pseudococcus spp., Psylla spp., Pulvinaria aethiopica, Quadraspidiotusspp., Rhopalosiphum spp., Saissetia spp., Scaphoideus spp., Schizaphisspp., Sitobion spp., Trialeurodes vaporariorum, Trioza erytreae andUnaspis citri; (k) Hymenoptera, for example, Acromyrmex, Atta spp.,Cephus spp., Diprion spp., Diprionidae, Gilpinia polytoma, Hoplocampaspp., Lasius spp., Monomorium pharaonis, Neodiprion spp., Solenopsisspp. and Vespa spp.; (l) Diptera, for example, Aedes spp., Antherigonasoccata, Bibio hortulanus, Calliphora erythrocephala, Ceratitis spp.,Chrysomyia spp., Culex spp., Cuterebra spp., Dacus spp., Drosophilamelanogaster, Fannia spp., Gastrophilus spp., Glossina spp., Hypodermaspp., Hyppobosca spp., Liriomyza spp., Lucilia spp., Melanagromyza spp.,Musca spp., Oestrus spp., Orseolia spp., Oscinella frit, Pegomyiahyoscyami, Phorbia spp., Rhagoletis pomonella, Sciara spp., Stomoxysspp., Tabanus spp., Tannia spp. and Tipula spp.; (m) Siphonaptera, forexample, Ceratophyllus spp. and Xenopsylla cheopis and (n) from theorder Thysanura, for example, Lepisma saccharina. The active ingredientsaccording to the invention may further be used for controlling cruciferflea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.), root maggots (Delia spp.), cabbageseedpod weevil (Ceutorhynchus spp.) and aphids in oil seed crops such ascanola (rape), mustard seed, and hybrids thereof, and also rice andmaize. In a particular embodiment, the insect may be a member of theSpodoptera, more particularly, Spodoptera exigua, Myzus persicae,Plutella xylostella or Euschistus sp.

Application of an effective pesticidal control amount of a supernatant,filtrate or extract containing a pesticidally active metabolite, orisolated compound produced by the Chromobacterium sp. or application ofcombinations of the foregoing is provided. The strain or supernatant orfiltrate or extract, metabolite and/or compound are applied, alone or incombination with another pesticidal substance, in an effective pestcontrol or pesticidal amount. An effective amount is defined as thatquantities of microorganism cells, supernatant, filtrate or extract,metabolite and/or compound alone or in combination with anotherpesticidal substance that is sufficient to modulate pest infestation.The effective rate can be affected by pest species present, stage ofpest growth, pest population density, and environmental factors such astemperature, wind velocity, rain, time of day and seasonality. Theamount that will be within an effective range in a particular instancecan be determined by laboratory or field tests.

EXAMPLES

The composition and methods set forth above will be further illustratedin the following, non-limiting Examples. The examples are illustrativeof various embodiments only and do not limit the claimed inventionregarding the materials, conditions, weight ratios, process parametersand the like recited herein.

Example 1 Extraction of Compounds from Chromobacterium Substugae

The following procedure is used for the purification of compoundsextracted from the culture of Chromobacterium substugae:

The culture broth derived from the 10-L fermentation C. substugae inL-broth is extracted with Amberlite XAD-7 resin (Asolkar et al., 2006)by shaking the cell suspension with resin at 225 rpm for two hours atroom temperature. The resin and cell mass are collected by filtrationthrough cheesecloth and washed with DI water to remove salts. The resin,cell mass, and cheesecloth are then soaked for 2 h in acetone/methanol(50/50) after which the acetone/methanol is filtered and dried undervacuum using rotary evaporator to give the crude extract. The crudeextract is then fractionated by using Sephadex LH 20 size exclusionchromatography (CH₂Cl₂/CH₃OH; 50/50) to give 7 fractions (FIG. 1). Thesefractions are then concentrated to dryness using rotary evaporator andthe resulting dry residues are screened for biological activity using afeeding assay with Cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) or Beet armyworm(Spodoptera exigua). The active fractions are then subjected to reversedphase HPLC (Spectra System P4000 (Thermo Scientific) to give purecompounds, which are then screened in above mentioned bioassays tolocate/identify the active compounds. To confirm the identity of thecompound, additional spectroscopic data such as LC/MS and NMR isrecorded.

Chromamide A (1) and compound B were obtained from fraction 1 and 2respectively, whereas violacein (2) & deoxyviolacein (3) were purifiedfrom fraction 5 obtained from Sephadex LH 20 chromatography.

Purification of Compounds

Purification of chromamide A (1) was performed by using HPLC C-18 column(Phenomenex, Luna 10u C18(2) 100 A, 250×10), water:acetonitrile gradientsolvent system (0-10 min, 80-75% aqueous CH₃CN; 10-45 min, 75-60%aqueous CH₃CN; 45-55 min, 60-50% aqueous CH₃CN; 55-65 min, 50-100%aqueous CH₃CN; 65-70 min, 100% CH₃CN; 55-70 min, 0-80% aqueous CH₃CN) at2.5 mL/min flow rate and UV detection of 210 nm. The active compoundchromamide A (1), has retention time 23.19 min.

Purification of invention compound B was performed by using HPLC C-18column (Phenomenex, Luna 10u C18 (2) 100 A, 250×10), water:acetonitrilegradient solvent system (0-10 min, 80-75% aqueous CH₃CN; 10-45 min,75-60% aqueous CH₃CN; 45-55 min, 60-50% aqueous CH₃CN; 55-65 min,50-100% aqueous CH₃CN; 65-70 min, 100% CH₃CN; 55-70 min, 0-80% aqueousCH₃CN) at 2.5 mL/min flow rate and UV detection of 210 nm, the activecompound B, retention time 26.39 min (see FIG. 6).

Purification of violacein (2) and deoxyviolacein (3) were performed byusing HPLC C-18 column (Phenomenex, Luna 10u C18(2) 100 A, 250×10),water:acetonitrile gradient solvent system (0-10 min, 70-60% aqueousCH₃CN; 10-40 min, 60-20% aqueous CH₃CN; 40-60 min, 20-0% aqueous CH₃CN;60-65 min, 100% CH₃CN; 65-75 min, 0-70% aqueous CH₃CN) at 2.5 mL/minflow rate and UV detection of 210 nm, the active compounds violacein(2), had a retention time 7.86 min and deoxyviolacein (3) retention time12.45 min.

Mass Spectroscopy Analysis of Compounds

Mass spectroscopy analysis of active peaks is performed on a ThermoFinnigan LCQ Deca XP Plus electrospray (ESI) instrument using bothpositive and negative ionization modes in a full scan mode (m/z 100-1500Da) on a LCQ DECA XP^(plus) Mass Spectrometer (Thermo Electron Corp.,San Jose, Calif.). Thermo high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)instrument equipped with Finnigan Surveyor PDA plus detector,autosampler plus, MS pump and a 4.6 mm×100 mm Luna C18 5μ 100 A column(Phenomenex). The solvent system consisted of water (solvent A) andacetonitrile (solvent B). The mobile phase begins at 10% solvent B andis linearly increased to 100% solvent B over 20 min and then kept for 4min, and finally returned to 10% solvent B over 3 min and kept for 3min. The flow rate is 0.5 mL/min. The injection volume was 10 μL and thesamples are kept at room temperature in an auto sampler. The compoundsare analyzed by LC-MS utilizing the LC and reversed phasechromatography. Mass spectroscopy analysis of the present compounds isperformed under the following conditions: The flow rate of the nitrogengas was fixed at 30 and 15 arb for the sheath and aux/sweep gas flowrate, respectively. Electrospray ionization was performed with a sprayvoltage set at 5000 V and a capillary voltage at 35.0 V. The capillarytemperature was set at 400° C. The data was analyzed on Xcalibursoftware. The chromamide A (1) has a molecular mass of 860 in positiveionization mode (see FIG. 2). The LC-MS chromatogram for another activecompound B suggests a molecular mass of 874 in positive ionization mode.Violacein (2) and deoxyviolacein (3) had the molecular masses of 313 and327 respectively in positive ionization mode.

NMR Spectroscopy Analysis of Compounds

NMR-NMR spectra were measured on a Bruker 600 MHz gradient fieldspectrometer. The reference is set on the internal standardtetramethylsilane (TMS, 0.00 ppm). The amino acid analyses were carriedout on Hitachi 8800 amino acid analyzer.

For structure elucidation, the purified chromamide A with molecularweight 860 is further analyzed using a 600 MHz NMR instrument, and has¹H NMR 6 values at 8.89, 8.44, 8.24, 8.23, 7.96, 7.63, 6.66, 5.42, 5.36,5.31, 5.10, 4.13, 4.07, 4.05, 3.96, 3.95, 3.88, 3.77, 3.73, 3.51, 3.44,3.17, 2.40, 2.27, 2.11, 2.08, 2.03, 2.01, 1.97, 1.95, 1.90, 1.81, 1.68,1.63, 1.57, 1.53, 1.48, 1.43, 1.35, 1.24, 1.07, 1.02, 0.96, 0.89, 0.88,0.87, 0.80 (see FIG. 4) and has ¹³C NMR values of 173.62, 172.92,172.25, 172.17, 171.66, 171.28, 170.45, 132.13, 130.04, 129.98, 129.69,129.69, 125.48, 98.05, 70.11, 69.75, 68.30, 68.25, 64.34, 60.94, 54.54,52.82, 49.72, 48.57, 45.68, 40.38, 39.90, 38.18, 36.60, 31.98, 31.62,31.58, 29.53, 28.83, 27.78, 24.41, 23.06, 22.09, 20.56, 19.31, 18.78,17.66, 15.80 (see FIG. 5). The chromamide A was isolated as a whitesolid, which analyzed for the molecular formula C₄₃H₆₈N₆O₁₂ (13 degreesof unsaturation), by ESI high-resolution mass spectrometry (obsd M⁺ m/z861.5376, calcd M⁺ m/z 861.5343). The ¹H NMR spectral data of chromamideA in DMSO-d₆ exhibited 68 proton signals, in which nine protons [δ_(H):8.89, 8.44, 8.23, 8.22, 7.96, 7.64, 6.65, 5.10, 4.13], were assigned aseither NH or OH due to lack of carbon correlation in a heteronuclearcorrelation NMR (HMQC) analysis. The ¹³C NMR spectrum, showed sevencarbonyl signals [δ_(C): 173.62, 172.92, 172.25, 1.72.17, 171.66,171.28, 170.45] and in the ¹H NMR spectrum, six characteristic α-aminoprotons signals [δ_(H): 4.07, 4.06, 3.96, 3.95, 3.88, 3.72] wereobserved which demonstrate that chromamide A is a peptide.

Interpretation of 2D NMR data led to the assignment of three amino acidunits of the six, one leucine (Leu), one valine (Val) and one glutamine(Gln). The presence of these amino acids were confirmed by results ofamino acid analysis, which also showed the presence of the above threeamino acids. Further analysis of DEPT and 2D NMR spectral data (COSY,HSQC and HMBC) established the presence three sub-structures I, II andIII as showed below.

The connections of the three sub-structures in 1 were accomplished byroutine HMBC NMR analysis using correlations between the α-amino protonand/or the secondary amide proton and the carbonyl carbon resonances andchemical shift consideration. The linkage of C-9 from sub-structure I toC-10 from sub-structure II was established by HMBC correlations fromCH₃-40 [δ_(H): 1.00] and the α-amino proton of alanine [δ_(H): 3.42] tothe C-10 carbon [δ_(C): 70.11]. This was further confirmed by the threebond HMBC correlation from hydroxyl at [δ_(H): 5.10] to C-9 at [δ_(C):49.78]. The methylene at [δ_(H): 3.50] from sub-structure III showed athree bond HMBC correlation to C-19 [δ_(C): 68.31] which connected thesub-structure I and II. The quaternary carbon at C-3 [δ_(C): 98.09] wasconnected to C-21 [δ_(C): 64.40] through a weak correlation from H-21[δ_(H): 3.95] together with their chemical shift values to form a onering system. Lastly, the ring closure linkage was secured by athree-bond HMBC correlation from H₃-36 [δ_(H): 1.43] to C-1 [δ_(C):172.17], which allowed the planar structure of chromamide A (1) to beassigned.

The compound B with a molecular weight 874 exhibited similar NMR and UVdata suggesting that this compound B also belongs to the class ofpeptide.

The structure for violacein (2) and deoxyviolacein (3) was assigned bycomparison of the data of these compounds with those published in theliterature. The structures of chromamide A, violacein and deoxyviolaceinare shown in FIG. 7.

Example 2 Amino Acids Analysis of Chromamide A

Chromamide A (0.05 mg) was hydrolyzed by using liquid phase hydrolysis(6N HCL, 1% Phenol, 110° C., 24 hr, in vacuum). After cooling, thereaction mixture was dried and the hydrolyzed product was dissolved inNorleu dilution buffer to 1.0 mL volume. A 50 μL of the sample wasloaded onto the ion-exchange column for analysis.

For standards and calibration, an amino acid standards solution forprotein hydrolysate on the Na-based Hitachi 8800 (Sigma, A-9906) is usedto determine response factors, and thus calibrate the Hitachi 8800analyzer for all of the amino acids. Each injection contains NorLeucineas an internal standard to allow correction of the results forvariations in sample volume and chromatography variables. Systemutilizes Pickering Na buffers, Pierce Sequanal grade HCl (hydrolysis), aTransgenomic Ion-Exchange column and an optimized method developed byMolecular Structure Facility (MSF), UC Davis, and the individual aminoacid present in the sample are reported. The amino acids present in thesample (chromamide A) were found to be Glx (Glutamine/Glutamic acid),leu (leucine) and Val (Valine).

Example 3 Confirmation of Toxicity on Cabbage Looper (Trichoplusia ni)

Toxicity of the compound of interest in fraction 1 (F1) was confirmed inan in vitro assay using 1^(st) instar cabbage looper larvae as a testobject.

Two hundred microliters of commercial cabbage looper diet wasdistributed in each well of a 96-well microplate. After the diet hadsolidified, 100 uL of solution containing 50 uL of extract(corresponding to four individual peaks found in fraction 1; H1-H4), 350uL EtOH and 600 uL sterile DI water was pipetted in each well, afterwhich the plate was dried using a hand-held fan. The amount of extractin each well was 10 micrograms. Each treatment was replicated eighttimes, and a mixture of pure ethanol and water was used as a negativecontrol.

One test insect (1^(st) instar larvae of cabbage looper) was placed ineach well, and the plate was covered with an adhesive seal. The seal waspunctured for aeration, and the sealed plate was incubated at 26° C. forfour days.

The results presented in Table 1 below show good activity (>60%mortality) with a compound in peak H1. This particular peak correspondswith the chromamide A (1) (FIG. 1).

TABLE 1 Cabbage Looper Mortality (%) at 10 ug/well F1 H1 66.7 F1 H2

F1 H3 33.3 F1 H4 11.1

indicates data missing or illegible when filed

Example 4 Determination of LC₅₀ for Violacein for Cabbage Looper(Trichoplusia ni)

The 96-well plate assay system described in the previous example wasused to determine the concentration of pure violacein needed to kill 50%of the 1^(st) instar cabbage looper larvae. The mortality valuesrecorded after 4 days of incubation at 26° C. are presented in Table 2below. Based on the data, violacein is a potent insecticide with anestimated LC₅₀ value of 7*10⁻⁶ micrograms per well for cabbage looperlarvae in an in vitro diet-overlay assay.

TABLE 2 Effect of Violacein on Cabbage Looper Mortality Violacein %mortality ug/well Day 4 10 100 1 100 0.1 100 0.01 100 0.001 100 0.0001100 0.00001 71.4 0.000001 14.2 1E−07 0

Example 5 Nematicidal Activity of Chromobacterium substugae (MBI-203)Broth on Juvenile Root-Knot Nematodes

To assess the effect of filter-sterilized C. substugae on the motility(and subsequent recovery) of juvenile (J2) root-knot nematodes(Meloidogyne incognita VW6), the following test was conducted on 24-wellplastic cell-culture plates:

A 300-ul aliquot of each test solution (either 1× or 0.1×filter-sterilized broth) was added into appropriate wells after which,fifteen nematodes dispensed in 10 ul of DI water were added into eachwell, plate was closed with a lid, and incubated at 25° C. for 24 hours.Water and Avid (avermectin) at 20,000× dilution were used as negativeand positive controls, respectively. Effect of each compound on nematodemobility was checked after 24 hours by probing each nematode with aneedle, and the proportion of immobile nematodes in each treatment wasrecorded in a notebook using a % scale. To assess the recovery ofmobility in each treatment, a volume of 200 ul was removed from eachwell, and the remaining solution in each well was diluted by adding 2 mLof DI water. Plates were again incubated for 24 hours as describedabove, after which the second mobility evaluation (48-hour) wasperformed.

The results presented in FIGS. 8 and 9 show that the undilutedfilter-sterilized broth can immobilize the free-living juvenileroot-knot nematodes. This effect lasts at least for 48-hours, whichsuggests that C. substugae broth has nematicidal activity.

Example 6 Effect of Chromobacterium substugae (MBI-203) Broth on Gallingof Cucumber Roots

MBI-203 was tested for its intrinsic activity against the root knotnematode Meloidogyne sp. in two mini drench tests.

Materials and Methods

Specifically MBI-203 was tested in a greenhouse assay conducted in 45 mlpots. Cucumber seeds cv. Toshka were sown directly into pots filled witha sandy loam soil. Ten days later pots were each treated with 5 ml of asuspension. Hereafter, pots were inoculated with 3000 eggs of M.incognita. Four replicates were prepared for each treatment and rate.The trial was harvested fourteen days after trial application andinoculation. Root galling was assessed according to Zeck's gall index(Zeck, 1971). Specific conditions are set forth below in Table 4.

Phytotoxicity was measured as a reduction of growth of the emergedcucumber seedling in comparison to the control.

TABLE 4 Test species MBI-203 Fosthiazate (Standard, EC 150) Meloidogynesp. applied at 3000 eggs per mini drench pot (in 2 ml) Test plantCucumis sativus (cucumber cv. Toschka) Test formulation MBI-203 = 96%liquid formulation Test concentrations for Mini-drench test #1: 100, 50ml/L MBI-203 Mini-drench test #2: 50, 25, 12.5, 6, 3, 1.5 ml/L Testapplication Drench application

Results Mini Drench Test No. 1

The activity of the treatments was very high and a reduction of almost100% was observed when applied at a concentration of 50 ml/L (MBI-203).Minor phytotoxicity was observed for MBI-203. Fosthiazate performed asusual (100% control at 20 ppm).

Mini Drench Test No. 2

MBI-203 showed phytotoxicity at the highest concentrations of 50 and 25ml/L and assessments could not be made at these rates.

At a concentration of 12.5 ml/L nematode control was over 95% whichdecreased to 33% at 3 ml/L. At a rate of 1.5 ml/L no activity wasrecorded.

Fosthiazate performed as usual (100% control at 20 ppm).

Example 8 Synergistic Studies with Chromobacterium substugae (MBI-203)Broth

Synergy tests were performed by treating artificial diet in 96-wellplates and feeding treated diet to neonate larvae. 100 uL of treatmentwere pipetted into multiple wells of each plate. MBI-203 (whole cellbroth concentrated to 7.6% dry cell weight) alone, the commercialinsecticide alone, and the combination of the 2 were tested usingpredetermined LC₅₀ concentrations or fractions thereof. The diet wasfan-dried to remove excess moisture. Neonate Beet Armyworm, Spodopteraexigua, or Cabbage Loopers, Trichoplusia ni, were transferred into eachwell of the multi-well plate. Infested plates were covered with adhesiveplate sealer and a single small hole was poked into the sealer over eachwell to allow for aeration. Plates were stored in an incubator at 26°C., 16 h light/8 h dark cycle for 3 days. On the third and fourth dayafter infesting, mortality was scored.

The determination of a synergistic, antagonistic, or additiveinteraction was determined using the methods from (Colby 1967). Due tovariation in bioassays, it was determined that ratios between 0 and 0.9would be considered antagonistic, 0.9-1.1 ratios would be additive, andratios above 1.1 would be considered synergistic relationships.

MBI-203 synergy with insecticides against Cabbage Loopers was tested.Chlorantranilipole (marketed as Coragen®, Dupont), Bacillusthuringiensis var. kurstaki (Dipel®, Valent Biosciences), Spinosad(marketed as Entrust®, Dow Agro Sciences), Spirotetramet (marketed asMovento®, Bayer Crop Science) and Pyrethrum/pyrethrins (marketed asPyganic®, Arbico Organics) were tested with MBI-203. As noted above,except where indicated, LC₅₀ concentrations of MBI-203 and insecticideswere used. The results are shown in Table 5. All, but Bt var. kurstakiand 1 instance of LC₅₀ concentration showed synergism.

TABLE 5 MBI-203 +Insecticide: Effect on cabbage loopers MBI- Cal- 203Product culated Actual alone alone Combo Combo Defined Product Kill %Kill % Kill % Kill % Ratio relation Chlorantranilipole 21 3 23.4 33.31.42 syn Bt var. kurstaki 61.7 89.6 96 100 1.04 add Spinosad 41.5 54.372.99 100.00 1.37 syn Spirotetramet 87.9 23.8 86.34 89.87 1.04 addSpirotetramet 90.6 41.5 91.90 94.94 1.03 add (0.5X LC₅₀); MBI-203 (0.3XLC₅₀) Pyrethrum 19.7 2.8 21.93 55.37 2.53 syn

MBI-203 synergy with insecticides against Beet Army Worm (BAW) wastested. Chlorantranilipole (marketed as Coragen®, Dupont), Bacillusthuringiensis var. kurstaki (Dipel®, Valent Biosciences), Spinosad(marketed as Entrust®, Dow Agro Sciences), Spirotetramet (marketed asMovento®, Bayer Crop Science) and Pyrethrum/pyrethrins (marketed asPyganic®, Arbico Organics) were tested with MBI-203. As noted above,except where indicated, LC₅₀ concentrations of MBI-203 and insecticideswere used. The results are shown in Table 6. MBI-203 andChlorantranilipole interacted additively while Bacillus thuringiensisvar. kurstaki and Spinosad showed synergistic control of BAW withMBI-203. Pyrethrum combinations with MBI-203 were antagonistic.Spirotetramet and MBI203 combinations were primarily antagonisticagainst Beet Armyworm.

TABLE 6 MBI-203 +Insecticide: Effect on Beet Armyworm Product CalculatedActual MBI-203 alone Combo Combo Defined Product alone Kill % Kill %Kill % Kill % Ratio relation. Chlorantranilipole 11.6 9.1 19.69 19.91.01 add Bt var. kurstaki 24.5 19.8 39.4 68.3 1.73 syn Spinosad 23.868.7 83.33 100 1.2 syn Spirotetramet 0 21.6 36.10 27.60 0.76 antagSpirotetramet (0.53X 0 42.9 38.55 41.67 1.08 add LC₅₀); MBI-203 (0.7XLC₅₀) Spirotetramet 21.4 53.3 60.57 53.70 0.89 antag Spirotetramet (1.4X10 77.5 78.22 41.23 0.53 antag LC₅₀); MBI-203 (1.2X LC₅₀) Pyrethram 14.474.5 78.17 12.16 0.16 antag Pyrethram 70.7 11.1 73.97 27.78 0.38 antag

Although this invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, the details thereof are not to be construed as limiting, asit is obvious that one can use various equivalents, changes andmodifications and still be within the scope of the present invention.

Various references are cited throughout this specification, each ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

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1-15. (canceled)
 16. A method for modulating nematode infestation in aplant comprising applying to the plant and/or seeds thereof and/orsubstrate used for growing said plant an amount of a whole cell broth ofan isolated strain of a Chromobacterium sp., or a supernatant, filtrateor extract of the whole cell broth, effective to modulate said nematodeinfestation. 17-28. (canceled)
 29. The method of claim 16, wherein themethod comprises applying the whole cell broth of an isolated strain ofa Chromobacterium sp.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein theChromobacterium sp. is Chromobacterium subtsugae sp. nov. (NRRLB-30655).
 31. The method of claim 16, wherein the method comprisesapplying the supernatant, filtrate, or extract of the whole cell broth.32. The method of claim 31, wherein the Chromobacterium sp. isChromobacterium subtsugae sp. nov. (NRRL B-30655).
 33. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the nematode is selected from a Meloidogyne sp.,Tylenchorhynchus sp., Hoplolaimus sp., Helicotylenchus sp., Pratylenchussp., Heterodera sp., Globodera sp., Trichodorus sp., Paratrichodorussp., Xiphinema sp., and Criconema sp.
 34. The method of claim 16,wherein the whole cell broth or the supernatant, filtrate, or extract ofthe whole cell broth is applied to the substrate and the substrate issoil.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the whole cell broth or thesupernatant, filtrate, and/or extract of the whole cell broth is appliedby soil drench.
 36. The method of claim 16, wherein the whole cell brothor the supernatant, filtrate, or extract of the whole cell broth isapplied to the plant.
 37. The method of claim 16, wherein the whole cellbroth or the supernatant, filtrate, or extract of the whole cell brothis applied to the seed.
 38. A method for modulating nematode infestationin a plant comprising applying to the plant and/or seeds thereof and/orsubstrate used for growing said plant a composition consistingessentially of a whole cell broth of an isolated strain of aChromobacterium sp. in an amount effective to modulate said nematodeinfestation.
 39. The method of claim 38, wherein the Chromobacterium sp.is Chromobacterium subtsugae sp. nov. (NRRL B-30655).
 40. The method ofclaim 38, wherein the nematode is selected from a Meloidogyne sp.,Tylenchorhynchus sp., Hoplolaimus sp., Helicotylenchus sp., Pratylenchussp., Heterodera sp., Globodera sp., Trichodorus sp., Paratrichodorussp., Xiphinema sp., and Criconema sp.
 41. The method of claim 38,wherein the composition is applied to the plant.
 42. The method of claim38, wherein the composition is applied to the seed.
 43. The method ofclaim 38, wherein the composition is applied to the substrate and thesubstrate is soil.
 44. The method of claim 16, wherein modulatingnematode infestation comprises increasing mortality of a nematode. 45.The method of claim 16, wherein modulating nematode infestationcomprises inhibiting growth rate of a nematode.
 46. The method of claim38, wherein modulating nematode infestation comprises increasingmortality of a nematode.
 47. The method of claim 38, wherein modulatingnematode infestation comprises inhibiting growth rate of a nematode.